Will Donald Trump Run As An Independent?

In the first Republican debate this past Thursday, Donald Trump raised his hand when the candidates were asked by Bret Baier, “Is there anyone on stage, and can I see hands, who is unwilling tonight to pledge your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican party and pledge to not run an independent campaign against that person?”

Trump’s reasoning for raising his hand? It’s all about the leverage.

As a businessman, Trump uses leverage to get the best deal for him. He is applying the same tactics to his campaign. He addressed the issue of leverage at the debate, “If I’m the nominee, I will pledge I will not run as an independent. But—and I am discussing it with everybody, but I’m, you know, talking about a lot of leverage. We want to win, and we will win. But I want to win as the Republican. I want to run as the Republican nominee.”

However, if Trump doesn’t get what he wants, he has made it clear that he will run as an independent and knowingly split the vote which will ensure that a Democrat gets elected to the White House.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked in an interview about the issue. He specifically said he would be open to running as an independent if he did not feel he was being well treated by the Republican party.

For now, he is running as a Republican and that appears to be his first choice. But if he changes political parties or allegiances, it wouldn’t be the first time.